Tag Archives: technology

Online features round up

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I think this will be something of a feature I want to do once or twice a week. Just a quick round up of the current online feature or breaking news stories using some sort of online-exclusive component. This could be anything; a flash piece, audio, video, graphic or even clever use of photos.

  • Catholic Views, Catholic Voices (NY Times) – A piece that uses Flash and audio interviews to get Catholic views and opinions on the even of the Pope’s U.S. visit. I’ve been impressed with the NY Times’ use of audio and would be curious to see what sort of ROI they get on their pieces (meaning hire me please.)
  • Al Jaffee Fold-ins, Past and Present (NY Times) – This was is a few weeks old actually but I felt the need to mention it. A clever use of Flash that let’s readers go through about a dozen of MAD Magazines famous fold-ins by artist Al Jaffee. This went along with a larger profile of the 80-year-old artist.
  • Deaths in Iraq (USA Today) – This is a very intensive database/Flash piece that that I imagine USA Today has been consistently updating. It’s not only searchable, but each block represents a soldier and when you rollover them with your cursor, an information block pops up for that particular soldier. I’d be curious to know how diligently they track down the photos and other detail not released by the military and what the update process is. Probably not much different, but far more complicated, than our own homicide map at The Orlando Sentinel.
  • What’s Old is New at the Newseum (USA Today) – The USA Today interactive team must have been working overtime. This is an interactive graphical walk-through of the Newseum that opened in Washington D.C. The buttons detail each floor with small information boxes. But, if you’re feeling lazy, you can just click on the video tour instead.
  • Another country by Scott Strazzante (Chicago Tribune) – Tribune photographer Scott Strazzante chronicled the life and death of a farm near Lockport, Ill. They used a Flash slide show to do side-by-side comparison photos spanning seven years. I liked the idea but It feels like it was released prematurely (despite being seven years worth of photos). They should have had a audio component, perhaps some of the people narrating aspects of life on the farm, playing over the photos. Flipping through them in silence is a little creepy.  The navigation could have used some work too. Not being able to skip ahead multiple photos is a bit of a chore.  Last nit pick, if there is a feature story that goes along with the photo story, it should be linked somewhere on this page for continuity. They are great photos however.

Univ. Washington develops bionic contact lens

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Shit just got real:

An electronic contact lens has been developed that will enable maps and videos to be beamed before the wearer's eyes.

The bionic lens has microscopic circuits fixed to a flexible plastic. The scientists who created the device say the lenses could eventually provide computer-aided vision similar to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger's robotic character in the Terminator films.

Drivers and pilots would have essential information - their speed and direction, for example - superimposed in front of their eyes, in a massive advance on the kind of "wearable displays" now available, which are spectacles that have images displayed on the lenses.

A prototype of the lens has been built, with light-emitting diodes - LEDs - embedded in it to flash up information. Its built-in antenna will use wireless technology, similar to that used in the home, to beam information to the lens, allowing wearers to surf the internet without taking their eyes off the world around them.

Babak Parviz, the electrical engineer behind the project at the University of Washington, said: "We have demonstrated some of the key technologies required to make a sophisticated functional contact lens. We hope to hook up a wireless link… for updating images and reporting the state of the lens."

Microscopic electrical circuits link up the LEDs and the antenna harvests energy from radio waves to power the lens. Holes which are each 1,000 times thinner than a human hair are etched on to the lens.

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Sign me up. Although people have a hard enough time talking on their cellphones and driving at the same time, imagine if they were reading an US Weekly or the morning sports page on their bionic lens during their commute.

A message from Sam…

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As I mentioned before, billionaire Sam Zell recently bought Tribune. Since then, he has been doing a whirlwind tour of all of his new media properties. After visiting a few, he realized something and sent out the following message:

"Everyone: I learned on the first leg of our tour of Tribune's business units that some of them were filtering Internet content. I do not see how a member of the Fourth Estate, dedicated to protecting the First Amendment, can censor what its own employees and partners can see. I have instructed that all content filters be removed. You are now exposed to the dangers of YouTube and Facebook. Please use your best judgment. Let's focus on what is important, and go for greatness."

-- Sam

From a journalism standpoint, I think this is a great idea. From a tech-support standpoint, however, this is going to be a disaster. Bring on the vi4gra ads and spam wars. Hey, at least the Tribune tech support staff will have job security.

Assassin’s Creed

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OK, this is off topic than my normal posts but I had to highlight this game. I’m not much of a video game person anymore, mostly out of economics and time however, not out of lack of interest. Watch these two videos of Assassin’s Creed:

It absolutely blows my mind how far video games have come. It doesn’t feel like so long ago when I was thrilled with Punch Out and Skate or Die. I feel like such an old man.

But, if someone wants to cough up a small fortune and buy me a 360 and this game I will gladly accept.

A gift that will keep on giving*

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So I went ahead and bought this from Amazon.com:



It should arrive some time next week. Get ready for a photo fiasco. I’m justifying the purchase by its benefit to my journalism and ability to better cover a story. I just need to get good with the darn thing.

Oh, and I’m just too lazy to keep dealing with the ancient Minolta 35mm I have. It’s fun, but getting film developed and having them all turn out like crap is a bitch. How did the cavemen ever do it?

*As long as I don’t break it.

I love the Better Business Bureau

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I’m in the market for a new camera. I plan on going the high-road and getting a digital-SLR, notable a Canon Digital Rebel XT (not the XTi, I don’t need that much camera.)

In searching and comparing prices I found this site that has killer deals on the camera, lenses and packaged kits that contain all sorts of goodies. Always of the “too good to be true” suspicion I checked out their policy page. It is mired in legalese and snake-oil salesman double-speak that instantly raises red flags to the smart shopper.

Then again, they’re prices are hundreds lower than Amazon.com and Beachcamera.com (another well-known camera site.) So I plod on hoping I can get my camera for cheaper.

One stop at the BBB website and it turned up this:

Nature of Business

Complaints to the Bureau indicate that this company has a pattern of misleading and deceptive business practices. A majority of consumers report that this firm advertises low cost and new merchandise on its website but receive damaged or refurbished merchandise. In addition consumers are charged shipping insurance fees which change and raise the price of the item. Complaints also indicate that this firm uses high pressures sales tactics when consumers call customer service. Consumers report being pressured to make additional purchases along with their original orders, and if they decline and cancel their orders they are charged an arbitrary cancellation fee. Furthermore, consumers allege customer service representatives gave false shipping dates and tracking numbers.
Customer Experience

Based on BBB files, this business has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau, because there is a pattern of complaints, and the business has not corrected the underlying reason for the complaints.

The company's size, volume of business, and number of transactions may have a bearing on the number of complaints received by the BBB. The number of complaints filed against a company may not be as important as the type of complaints, and how the company handled them. The BBB generally does not pass judgment on the validity of complaints filed.

I love the internets!

Sorry fotoconnection, you’re not getting my loot! Back to the great search, though I think I will stick with reliable old Amazon.com.

bad math

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Acer wants a flat $450+ to fix a sub-$600 laptop because the warranty is expired. What?!

Looks like it’s time to dip into that savings. Another tech crime is the Geek Squad wants $259.00 for a data recovery. I’ve got data on two laptop HDD’s that can’t be powered on. I need that por–uh, I mean pictures and music. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Honestly, between them both I have upwards of 3000 songs, some of it rare mash-ups and stuff I can’t find anymore.

I need solutions people!